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Birthday anniversary of famous navigator Faddey F. Bellingshausen
9 (20) September 1778, on the island of Ezel (now Saaremaa Island, Estonia) was born the famous Russian naval officer, scientist, explorer, Admiral Faddey F. Bellingshausen.
In 1789 Faddey entered the Sea Cadet Corps in Kronstadt, became a midshipman, and in 1796 sailed to the coast of England. He successfully navigated in the Baltic Sea on board of the vessels of the Revel squadron; in 1797 he was promoted to warrant officer.
In 1803-1806 Bellingshausen participated in the first Russian circumnavigation on board of "Nadezda" (Russian: “hope”) under the command of I. F. Krusenstern. During this trip he drew almost all the maps that were later included in the atlas of the "Trip around the World by Captain I. F. Krusenstern." In 1806, Bellingshausen was promoted to lieutenant-commander. In the 1810-1819, Faddey commanded a corvette and a frigate in the Baltic and Black Seas, was in charge of mapping and astronomical research.
In 1819-1821, on the recommendation of Krusenstern, Faddey Bellingshausen led a world expedition on board of the sloops "Vostok" commanded by him, and "Mirny", under the command of M. P. Lazarev, sent to Antarctica in order to maximize the penetration of the southern circumpolar region and to discover unknown lands. In 1819, the expedition discovered several islands in the Antarctic part of the Atlantic Ocean, and 16 (28) January 1820 they discovered Antarctica. 5 and 6 (17 and 18) February, the expedition came very close to the ice masses. Bellingshausen and Lazarev made a conclusion that in front of them was the "continent of ice floes." In 1821, the expedition discovered an island, named after Peter I, and the coast, named after Alexander I, as well as a number of islands in the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean. July 24 (August 5) 1821, after a 751-day campaign, the sloops returned to Kronstadt.
On his return from the expedition Bellingshausen was promoted to captain commander and awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class and the Order of St. George, 4th class. From 1828, Faddey participated in the Russian-Turkish campaign of 1828-1829 in the rank of rear admiral. He was one of those who besieged and took the fortress of Varna from the sea. After the war, he commanded the 2nd Division of the Baltic Navy. In 1839, Bellingshausen was appointed military governor of Kronstadt and commander of the Kronstadt port. He had made a great contribution to the improvement of the city as the main base of the fleet. In this position he was promoted to Admiral and awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class.
In 1845, Bellingshausen was elected a member of the Russian Geographical Society, in 1848 - an honorary member of the Maritime Scientific Committee.
13 (25) January 1852 Faddey F. Bellingshausen died and was buried in Kronstadt. In 1870, in the Soviet park of Kronstadt, there was erected a monument to the famous explorer by sculptor I. N. Schroeder.
The name of Bellingshausen was given to a sea and an island in the Pacific Ocean, a cape on the island of Sakhalin, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, the Antarctic ice shelf, as well as the first Soviet station near the coasts of West Antarctica.
Lit.: Болотников Н. Я. Фаддей Фаддеевич Беллинсгаузен и Михаил Петрович Лазарев // Русские мореплаватели. М., 1953; Иванов С. Голованов К. Ф. Ф. Беллинсгаузен. М., 1952; Магидович И. П. Очерки по истории географических открытий. М., 1957; Федосеев И. А. Ф. Ф. Беллинсгаузен // Вопросы истории естествознания и техники. М., 1980. Вып. 67‑68; Шокальский Ю. М. Столетие со времени отправления Русской Антарктической экспедиции под командою Ф. Беллинсгаузена и М. Лазарева 4 июля 1819 г. из Кронштадта // Известия Гос. Русского географического общества. 1928. Т. 60. Вып. 2.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Russian voyages around the world in the first half of 19th century: [digital collection];
Тарапыгин Ф. А. Известные русские военные деятели: краткое их жизнеописание. СПб., 1911.